March 2009 - acra.wildapricot.org

President’s Corner pg 3by Mike Polk

Update from ACRA Headquarters pg 5by C. J. Summers

ACRA Membership Drive pg 8by Steve Dasovich

Start Planning for the 2009 Annual Conference pg 9

Member Announcements pg 11Coastal Carolina Research Promotions

Mead & Hunt Launches Historical Staff In CaliforniaChristopher Dore Joins The Louis Berger Group

SITE Staff Presents Keynote Paper

Meet ACRA Board Member- Tom Euler pg 14

Legislative Update pg 15by Nellie Longsworth

In This Issue...

Volume 15-2

March 2009

E D I T I O NT h e V o i c e o f t h e C u l t u r a l R e s o u r c e s I n d u s t r y

Lawrence Alexander Alexander ArchaeologicalConsultants

Wildwood, Georgia

Steve J. Dasovich SCI Engineering, Inc. St. Charles, Missouri

Joan Deming Archaeological Consultants Inc.Sarasota, Florida

Charissa Durst Hardlines Design CompanyColumbus, Ohio

Tom Euler SWCA Environmental ConsultantsTucson, Arizona

Nancy Farrell Cultural Resource Management ServicesPaso Robles, California

Nurit Golden Finn Wapsi Valley Archaeology, Inc.Anamosa, Iowa

Elizabeth Jacox TAG Historical Research & Consultinga/b/n The Arrowrock Group, Inc.

Boise , Idaho

Joe Joseph New South Associates, Inc.Stone Mountain , Georgia

Loretta Lautzenheiser Coastal Carolina Research, Inc.Tarboro, North Carolina

Hope Luhman The Louis Berger Group, Inc.Albany, New York

Teresita Majewski Statistical Research, Inc. Tucson, Arizona

Ellen Marlatt Independent Archaeological Consulting, LLC

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

John Morrison Earthworks, Inc.Bismarck, North Dakota

Tom Motsinger PaleoWest, L.L.C.Phoenix, Arizona

Duane Peter Geo-Marine Inc.Plano, Texas

Kimberly Redman Alpine Archaeological Consultants Inc.Montrose, Colorado

Keith Seramur ConsultantBoone, North Carolina

Elizabeth Sheldon SITE, Inc.Montgomery, Alabama

Guy Weaver Weaver & Associates L.L.C.Memphis, Tennesee

ACRA Board of Directors

A street artist’s rendition of downtown Providence, the site of this year’sAnnual Meeting - September 16 - 20, 2009.

Executive - Mike Polk, Sagebrush Consultants L.L.C.

Government Relations - Jeanne Ward, Applied Archaeology &History Associates

Awards - Charissa Wang Durst, Hardlines Design Company, Inc.

Communications Steering Committee - Loretta Lautzenheiser,Coastal Carolina Research Inc.

Competitive Practices - Nurit Finn, Wapsi Valley Archaeology

Conference - Joan Deming, Archaeological Consultants Inc.

Education - James Karbula, William Self Associates, Inc.

Headquarters Oversight Committee - Joe Joseph, New SouthAssociates, Inc.

Membership - Steve Dasovich, SCI Engineering, Inc.

NAICS - Christopher Dore, The Louis Berger Group, Inc.

Newsletter - Lucy Wayne, SouthArc, Inc.

Policy - Loretta Lautzenheiser, Coastal Carolina Research Inc.

Salary Survey - Brian Thomas, TRC

Strategic Planning - Teresita Majewski, Statistical Research,Inc.

Worker Safety - Tom Euler, SWCA Environmental Consultants

Liaison Committee - Elizabeth Jacox, TAG Historical Research &Consulting

Finance Committee - Colin Busby, Basin Research Associates,Inc.

March 2009

A C R A E D I T I O N

2008 COMMITTEE CHAIRS

ACRA’s MissionOur mission is to promote the professional, ethical,

and business practices of the cultural resources industry,including all of its affiliated disciplines, for the benefit of theresources, the public, and the members of the associationby:

- promoting and supporting the business needs of culturalresources practitioners;

- promoting professionalism in the cultural resourcesindustry;

- promoting and providing educational and trainingopportunities for the cultural resources industry; and

- promoting public awareness of cultural resources and itsdiverse fields.

A basic tenet of ACRA’s philosophy is the costefficiency of private-sector firms in meeting the need forexpertise in cultural resource management. ACRA isstrongly opposed to unfair competition from tax-supportedcontracting programs. We believe that a greater benefit tosociety, and to the resources, derives from the existence ofa healthy community of tax-paying, job-generating, private-sector CRM businesses.

ACRA OFFICERS

PresidentMichael R. Polk, Sagebrush Consultants L.L.C.

President Elect Lucy Wayne, SouthArc, Inc.

Vice President (Government Relations)Jeanne Ward, Applied Archaeology & HistoryAssociates

Executive DirectorCrista LeGrand, Clemons and Associates, Inc.

Treasurer Colin Busby, Basin Research Associates, Inc.

Secretary Chad Moffett, Mead & Hunt, Inc.

Page 3

A m e r i c a n C u l t u r a l R e s o u r c e s A s s o c i a t i o n


Volume 15-2

PRESIDENT’S CORNER

By Michael R. Polk

We are approaching the beginning of Spring.This is a time when most of us, at least those in coldareas of the country, begin to gear up for anotherbusy field season, whether it be archaeology,architectural history, history or a related field. Thisyear is likely different for most, if not all of us. Theeconomy has caught up with CRM. I know that mycompany was going strong until the end of October.Then, it was like everyone put on the brakes, hard.The phones stopped ringing. I don't know thatanyone is doing great right now. Perhaps some areholding their own, others may be coasting and stillothers are just barely holding on.

ACRA was not created to just be there in goodtimes, but to assist in these lean ones as well.Perhaps ACRA can be most effective in more difficulttimes, since there are fewer tools for companies tolook to. A number of initiatives are beingimplemented to both help companies cope and,perhaps, thrive in this down economy. Some of theseare programs that we do on a standard basis, butmay be of even more use in these times, but othersare being specifically targeted to both assess thesituation and apply some possible remedies to help.

First, ACRA will be sending out an economicsurvey in the next week or two to take the pulse ofthe profession in these trying times. I ask you toparticipate to help us, as leadership, and you get asense of the magnitude of the effect that thiseconomic situation is having on our companiesacross the country. The Board of Directors will bemeeting soon and will use this information to discuss

the situation and see if there are positive thingsthat ACRA can do to help.

Second, ACRA is undertaking the mostmassive membership drive in its history. TheMembership Committee has compiled the mostcomplete and comprehensive database of culturalresources companies ever put together. To date, itappears that they have identified between 1600and 1800 companies existing within the UnitedStates. There are at least 218 in California alone!We are about to launch a postcard campaign (seearticle on Page 8) to seek out new potentialmembers. We also intend to use this list to greatlyexpand and enhance the quality of our biannualnationwide salary survey to be held later this year.While the survey and recruiting drive will notnecessarily directly help your business, in the longrun it can provide a number of benefits. Byincreasing membership, ACRA's funding willincrease and allow the organization to do more foryour business. It will also help level the playingfield by helping businesses become moreresponsible within the CRM community. Lastly,more businesses will be likely to participate in theSalary Survey which will enrich and enhance thetemporal depth of our Salary Survey data.

Third, ACRA's board will be meeting inBaltimore on March 27. On March 26, the entireboard, plus a number of the general membership,will be traveling to Washington, D.C. to meet withCongress and with Federal Preservation Officers ofvarious key agencies. We are doing this in order

..continued on Page 4

March 2009

Page 4



to promote the inclusion of cultural resources inStimulus Package Projects and to promote the qualityof service that agencies and private industry havecome to expect from ACRA member firms. We areworking closely with Nellie Longsworth, ACRA'sGovernment Relations Consultant, to target keycongressional constituencies and agencies that havethe most potential to benefit projects that includecultural resources as part of the work needing to bedone. We will be reporting back to you soon afterthis on the results of the trip. Remember too, it is nottoo late to join us. Check the ACRA website for moreinformation and contact CJ Summers at ACRA HQ([email protected]) to let her knowthat you would like to join us for this exciting event.

It is a difficult time for many, if not most of us,but despite the fact that saying certain things mayseem tired and worn, such times as this are goldenopportunities for growth and reassessing one's goalsin business. It is time to build your network ofcontacts and to hone your skills in marketing. Duringsuch times, what worked well over the last manyyears may not any more. It forces you to test yourskills in new ways and look to new markets to exploit.It is often painful, but in the long run, will often payhandsome dividends. Let's talk about this some morein Providence in September at the Annual ACRAmeeting. I look forward to seeing you all there.

TRACKING THE ECONOMIC STIMULUS PLANThe National Trust for Historic Preservation recently

announced an online tool for tracking the economic stimulus plan(The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) as it relates tohistoric preservation. It is on their PreservationNation website at thefollowing link:

http://www.preservationnation.org/take-action/advocacy-center/platform/stimulus-tracker.html

Page 5



Volume 15-2

UPDATE FROM ACRA HEADQUARTERS

By CJ Summers, Associate Director


ACRA's CRM Day at Capitol HillMarch 26, 2009Washington, DC

In our role as the 2009 cultural resourcesmanagement companies sentinels, we urge you to join usat CRM Day, ACRA's inaugural legislative fly-in. The eventwill take place March 25 - 26, 2009.

Your visit to the members of Congress for yourstate will impact the success of the cultural resourcesmanagement profession's advocacy efforts in the 111thCongress. We are looking for all CRM executives to visityour members of Congress and share your views onimportant industry issues like historic preservation.

Do not underestimate your importance or theimportance of this event; your participation could be thevoice that convinces an important member of Congress tostand with the CRM companies on a vital management orpreservation issue. For example, your member ofCongress could be the supporter or voter who passes theSmall Business CHOICE Act, which would help stopdrastic premium increases for ACRA's small businessmembers as well as allow them to provide affordablehealth insurance to their employees.

You, as a demonstrated supporter of ourprofession, are the backbone that makes this eventsuccessful. You can help pass important legislation whilepreventing harmful legislation that negatively impacts CRMcompanies by taking the following actions:

- Register to attend CRM Day 2009 - Invite coworkers or colleagues to attend with you

or, if you cannot attend, for you.

Once again, please join us at CRM Day 2009.Together, we can make a difference for all CRMcompanies to allow us to carry out our vital missions forour country. For more information, contact CJ Summers at410-933-3459.

Wednesday, March 25th6:00 pmInformational Meeting and Capitol Hill

Appointment Scheduling with Nellie Longsworth

Thursday, March 26thLobby Day at Capitol Hill

Hotel Information:The Conference Center at the Maritime Institute692 Maritime BoulevardLinthicum Heights, MD 21090 www.ccmit.org

Please call (410) 859-5700 to reserve your room.The ACRA group rate is $139/per night. For doubleoccupancy, the rate is $189/per night.

Your room rate includes a breakfast and dinnerbuffet for each night of your stay. These rates do notinclude state or local taxes.

Transportation:You will want to fly in to Baltimore Washington

International Airport (airport code= BWI). The MaritimeInstitute provides complimentary shuttle service to andfrom the hotel.

Please reply to CJ Summers via email to confirmyour attendance at this meeting [email protected].

March 2009

Page 6



Mark Your Calendar for ACRA's 14th Annual Conference

September 17 - 20, 2009Renaissance Providence Hotel

Providence, Rhode Island

Ray Pasquariello, Cinder Miller and JoanDeming are meeting to discuss program content and willkeep HQ posted on their progress. If you have anysuggestions in regards to programs, sessions orspeakers, please contact Ray, Cinder or Joan directly.All your suggestions are welcomed and appreciated at:

Ray: [email protected]

Cinder: [email protected]

Joan: [email protected]

Membership Dues

Thank you to over 101 members who renewedtheir membership with ACRA. Please contact MirandaColes at 410-933-3451 if you have yet to pay yourdues or if you have questions.

ACRA Prospective Member Mailing

Steve Dasovich, Membership Committee Chair,and his Committee have compiled the list of prospectiveACRA members . . . more than 1500! They created apostcard that will be mailed to the prospective memberlist. The postcard includes a message encouraging therecipient to visit the ACRA website and use the "special"password in order to access a prospective memberpage.

When you visit the main ACRA webpagewww.acra-crm.org there is a tab on the right side thatsays "ACRA Postcards - Received an ACRA Post Card?- Learn more here". This will link to the informationpage for prospective members.

Thank you to the entire Committee for their hardwork on this project!

Please contact Miranda Coles if you knowsomeone who should receive this postcard.

Government Affairs Section on the ACRAWebsite

We have created a section on the ACRA websitethat includes government affairs letters andannouncements from ACRA similar to what SAA does.

We are working with Ian Burrows and JeanneWard to provide copies of any letters orannouncements. If you have any correspondencesimilar to this, please forward electronic copies to CJSummers [email protected] so we mayadd them to the website.

Award Winners

The 2008 ACRA Award Winners can be viewedon the ACRA website. A History of Award Winners isalso posted online.

Newsletter Archive

ACRA staff worked with Mike Polk to add anewsletter archive on the website. The entire archive isnow online.

Page 7



Volume 15-2

The ACRA HQ Oversight Committee wasestablished by President Mike Polk at the 2008 AnnualMeeting to provide review of HQ operations as well as tosupport coordination and communication between HQand ACRA's Officers and Board. The Committeemembers include Terry Majewski (SRI), Tom Motsinger(PaleoWest), Lucy Wayne (SouthArc) and CommitteeChair Joe Joseph (New South Associates).

As its first task, the members of the committeeand HQ representatives Executive Director CristaLeGrand and Associate Director C. J. Summers wereeach asked to list and rank what they saw as ACRA's top10 priorities and responsibilities. The HQ CommitteeChair reviewed the rankings and prepared a report on theresults with the Committee's input. These results werereviewed in a conference call between HQ, theCommittee and ACRA's President.

The group also discussed communications as thecritical interface between HQ and ACRA. HQ has beenvery responsive to requests for improved communica-tions. Initiatives they have implemented include a weeklyphone call with the ACRA President and weekly emailedBoard briefings. HQ has also added a "Contact ACRA"page to the ACRA website, which identifies all of the HQstaff involved in ACRA's administration and provides theircontact information and email addresses. The contactsare: C.J. Summers, Associate Director, for ConsultantDatabase and Sponsorship Support; Miranda Coles,Association Coordinator, for membership information,dues, contact/address changes, and information on theannual meeting; Stacey Johnson, Webmaster; and CristaLeGrand, CMP, Executive Director. Visit www.acra-crm.org for more information.

The Committee will review HQ's efforts andprovide guidance on a quarterly basis. Members withtopics they wish to bring to the Committee's attention areencouraged to email Joe Joseph [email protected]. Members areencouraged to copy Executive Director Crista LeGrand onthose emails at [email protected].

ACRA’S HQ OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE

ACRA Headquarters

We are your ACRA Headquarters. If we can beof assistance to you throughout the year, please contactus. Here's your ACRA staff listing:

-- Crista LeGrand, Executive Director 410-933-3454 [email protected]

-- CJ Summers, Associate Director (consultant database and sponsorship support)410-933-3459 [email protected]

-- Miranda Coles, Meetings & Member Services(questions on dues, member contact informationupdates, etc. and annual meeting information) 410-933-3451 [email protected]

-- Stacy Johnson, Webmaster(website updates)

[email protected]

March 2009

Page 8



ACRA MEMBERSHIP DRIVE

By Steve Dasovich, Membership Committee Chair

ACRA has started a massive membership drive.Thanks to Sarah Herr, who compiled a list ofapproximately 1,500 CRM companies nationwide, theMembership Committee has been able to use that list asa starting point to generate a prospective members list.The list includes all types of CRM companies from theUnited States and U.S. territories. Currently, we are ontrack to have a list of at least 1,800 companies (subtractfrom that the current members of ACRA to see the poolof prospective members).

Our membership driveconsists first of the compilationof this list. Next, we are sendingout a postcard invitingprospective member firms totake a look at ACRA's website(see this issue for the front of thecard). On the website is aspecial "postcard" page wherethose who have received thepostcard will be able to use theirVIP password to enter this pageand see greetings from ACRA'sPresident and MembershipCommittee Chair. This page willalso have photos from recentACRA conferences showing ourmembership at work and at play.The idea is to offer a welcoming,"homey" feel to theseprospective members and getthem to browse through the rest

of the website. By the time you read this, postcards tobetween 50% and 80% of this list will have been mailed.

But wait, there is still more! The Membership andEducation committees have been working on marketingto potential student members. The idea is to offer aworkshop/seminar to mostly graduate students at eachannual meeting, focusing on campuses within about a300-mile radius from the meeting location (but advertisingit nationwide). The seminar will focus on introducing the

students to the "real world" of CRMfrom the perspective of ourmembership. Representativesfrom ACRA firms local or regionalto each conference will lead theseminars. In this way, students willbe able to network for possiblejobs in their areas and our memberfirms will have a first look atpossible new employees. Thereare many details to work out forthis, but it shows great promise.

Finally, we are looking forat least one new MembershipCommittee member, especiallyfrom a large catagory firm. If youhave an interest in serving on thiscommittee, please contact SteveDasovich [email protected].

Page 9



Volume 15-2

START PLANNING FOR THE 2009 ACRA ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Preparations are well underway here at Gray & Pape forACRA's 14th Annual Conference in Providence, Rhode Island,

September 16-20.

We'll be spending most of our time at the Marriott RenaissanceHotel. "Originally built in 1929 as a Masonic temple, theremarkable neoclassical architecture has been meticulouslyrestored to its natural beauty, while the interior has beentransformed into an elegant reflection of modern daysophistication, creating a unique Providence, Rhode Island hotel.Stylish downtown Providence hotel rooms offer timeless luxury,stunning detail, and refined comforts, as well as innovativetechnology." Go ahead and Google 'Marriott RenaissanceProvidence' for more information.

For the Friday night social, we'll be across the street from the hotelat the National Register-listed Rhode Island State House, a majesticneoclassical building that houses the Rhode Island GeneralAssembly and the offices of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor,Secretary of State and General Treasurer.

And for the Saturday night event we'll be out on Narragansett Bay,aboard the Majestic, a luxury yacht complete with the finest views,food, drink and entertainment that Rhode Island has to offer.

Conference programming is also in full swing. Details of the program,the keynote speaker, panels and workshops will be provided in the nextnewsletter. For more information, feel free to contact the ConferenceHost, Ray Pasquariello ([email protected]) or the ProgramChair, Cinder Miller ([email protected]). We look forward to seeingyou all in September!

March 2009

Page 10



Take a stroll down the cobble stones of BenefitStreet in Providence’s Historic District. With one ofthe nation’s highest concentrations of Colonialarchitecture the “mile of history” overlooksProvidence’s downtown. The Rhode IslandHistorical Society (401/438-0463. www.rihs.org)conducts summer (mid-June-mid-Oct.) walks onBenefit Street. The 90-minute tours cost $12 perperson and depart from the John Brown HouseMuseum Tuesday-Saturday at 11 AM.

Located in the heart of Providence’s financial district,the 1913 Turk’s Head Building is a flatiron style officebuiding, designed by Howells & Strokes of New York.

The Roger Williams Park Botanical Gardens was votedRhode Island’s “Best Urban Oasis.” Besides the vastoutdoor gardens, there are 12,000 square feet of indoorgardens. http://providenceri.com/botanical-center/

Take in Providence’s art galleries September 17 duringGallery Night. For tour information visithttp://www.gallerynight.info/ celebrityguides.html

WaterFire is a popular arts event consisting of a seriesof up to 100 bonfires that blaze just above the surfaceof the three rivers that pass through the middle ofdowntown Providence with accompanying music, andsometimes with live performances. For schedule visithttp://www.waterfire.org/.

BEYOND THE CONFERENCE

SEPTEMBER IN PROVIDENCE

Page 11



Volume 15-2

Coastal Carolina Research, Inc. Announces Promotions

Tarboro , North Carolina

Coastal Carolina Research, Inc. (CCR) ispleased to announce the promotions of two of itsvalued employees. Susan E. Bamann, Ph.D., wasnamed Vice President of Operations, and Billy W.Hall, Jr., was named Vice President of Research.CCR is a consulting firm specializing in culturalresource management. The firm's archaeologists,architectural history specialists and historiansconduct in-depth research and fieldwork to assistwith historic preservation planning for various

government agencies and private clients.Established in 1988, the Tarboro-based firm iscelebrating its twentieth anniversary and hascompleted more than 500 research projects in theCarolinas and mid-Atlantic region.

Dr. Bamann earned graduate degrees inAnthropology at the University at Albany (StateUniversity of New York) and is a RegisteredProfessional Archaeologist and member of the NorthCarolina Archaeological Council. She has more than20 years of experience in archaeological research,her specialty, with much of her time devoted to thestudy of precontact Native American settlement ineastern North America. Bamann resides in Tarborowith her husband Allen Poyner and their son Ewan.She looks forward to an expanded role in themanagement of archaeological projects.

Mr. Hall earned a B.A. in History, with honors,from North Carolina Wesleyan College and hasserved CCR as the chief archival researcher andproject historian for more than a decade. He hasconducted extensive research for projects near CivilWar battlefield and encampment sites and hasconsiderable expertise in deed and title research forassessing the significance of historic sites andstructures. Hall coordinates background research forall projects and is responsible for the consistentquality of assessments provided by the firm. He is anative of Wilson, where he resides with his wifeNoelle and daughters Danielle and Taryn.

MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Susan Bamann, VP Operations Billy Hall, VP Research

March 2009

Page 12



Mead & Hunt Launches Historical Staff in California

Mead & Hunt has added historic preservationstaff to our Sacramento, California, office, and now hasa total of 16 specialists focused on the builtenvironment. This staff combines national perspectivewith California experience to offer clients practicalsolutions to their historic preservation complianceneeds. Departments of Transportation and other stateand local agencies throughout the country turn toMead & Hunt for proven historical expertise andunderstanding of state and federal preservationregulations that expedites project delivery andfacilitates sound project planning decisions.

Chad Moffett, MA, Cultural ResourcePreservation, will manage this new department.Moffett, who is relocating from Mead & Hunt'sMinneapolis office, currently serves as Secretary of theAmerican Cultural Resources Association (ACRA) andas a member of its Board of Directors. He was therecipient of the Merit for Excellence in the Study ofLandscape Architecture from the American Society ofLandscape Architects.

Carol Roland, Ph.D., American History, hasjoined Mead & Hunt as a Senior Historian. Roland isthe past president of the California PreservationFoundation, 2005-2007. She recently authored astatewide thematic context, National Park/State ParkCooperative Program & Civilian Conservation CorpDevelopment in California State Parks 1932-1941, forthe California Department of Parks and Recreation. In2008 Roland developed and implemented a programof two-day cultural resource workshops sponsored byCalifornia's statewide preservation organization forapproximately 100 government agency personnel andprofessional cultural resource practitioners.

Moffett and Roland join an established Mead &Hunt office with 35 engineers, planners, techniciansand support staff. In addition to its two Californiaoffices, Mead & Hunt offers design services in thefields of planning, architecture, engineering andhistoric preservation from locations nationwide. Mead& Hunt is ranked among the top 500architectural/engineering firms in the nation byEngineering News Record magazine.

UPCOMING CONFERENCES OF INTEREST TO ACRA MEMBERS

Society of Architectural Historians (www.sah.org)Pasadena, CA-April 1-5, 2009

National Council on Public History (www.ncph.org)Providence, RI-April 2-5, 2009

Society for American Archaeology (www.saa.org)Atlanta, GA-April 22-26, 2009

American Planning Association (www.planning.org)Minneapolis, MN-April 25, 2009

National Association of Environmental Professionals(www.naep.org)

Scottsdale, AZ-May 2-6, 2009

Society for Industrial Archeology (www.sia-web.org)Pittsburgh, PA-May 29-31, 2009

Vernacular Architecture Forum (www.vafweb.org)Butte, MT-June 10-13, 2009

If an organization which you or your firm is involved in isnot listed here, please send information on upcoming activities,awards, announcements or other news items to the ACRA EditionCoordinator, Lucy Wayne at [email protected]. I'll see that itgets put in the next Edition and/or on MembersOnly and that it ispassed on to the Chair of the Liaison Committee, Elizabeth Jacox.

Page 13



Volume 15-2

The Louis Berger Group, Inc.March 2009

The Louis Berger Group, Inc. (Morristown, NJ),an international provider of engineering and environ-mental services, has hired Dr. Christopher D. Dore asAssistant Director of Cultural Resources. Dr. Dore isbased in Denver and coordinates services in The LouisBerger Group's Western Region. The award-winningLouis Berger Cultural Resource Group employsapproximately 125 full-time staff in 10 offices acrossthe country. For more information on The Louis BergerGroup, Inc., and their cultural resource group, seewww.louisberger.com and www.culturalresourcegroup.com.

Dr. Dore comes to The Louis Berger Group,Inc., after serving in executive positions for leadingheritage firms in the western United States. Dr. Dorealso holds an adjunct faculty position at the Universityof Arizona in one of the nation's highest rankedanthropology departments. He is relatively unique inthe heritage industry by having an MBA in addition tohis degrees in anthropology. Well known to ACRAmembers from his service in the organization as adirector and past president, Dr. Dore is currently thetreasurer-elect of the Society for AmericanArchaeology. Dr. Dore can be reached [email protected] and at (303)985-6623.

SITE, INC.Montgomery, AL

Elisabeth Sheldon and Paula Weiss of SITE,Inc. presented the keynote paper at CulturalCrossroads VIII sponsored by the LandmarksFoundation of Montgomery, Auburn University'sCaroline Draughn Center and the MontgomeryMuseum of Fine Arts with support from the AlabamaHumanities Foundation. This one-day symposiumentitled Settling In: 1820s-1840s, explored the firstthree decades of Alabama's statehood. Sheldon's andWeiss' paper was entitled "Early Settlement betweenAutauga and Mortar Creeks in Old Autauga County,Alabama: A Cultural Geography."

March 2009

Page 14



MEET ACRA BOARD MEMBERTOM EULER - LARGE FIRM MEMBER

I was raised in Prescott, Arizona and spent muchof my youth traveling the 4-Corners region with myeducator parents. My dad was a college professor andan anthropologist of the old school who had a true loveof archaeology. My early field experience with himincluded participating in phenomenal research projectsthroughout the American Southwest - includinghelicopter surveys in the Grand Canyon! It neveroccurred to me to follow any other career path. Makinga living was the farthest thing from my mind.

A graduate of the University of Colorado, I haveworked in the Cultural Resources Management (CRM)field for over 35 years, most of that time in privatesector consulting. Any success I've had in this field Iowe largely to my parents and to David A. Breternitz,my main professor at CU. At a time when universityarchaeology programs focused mainly on graduatestudents, Dave was providing dozens of eager (andnaïve) young undergraduates with opportunities to dofieldwork, data analysis and report preparation. I wasone of many beneficiaries of his far reaching trainingprogram.

Prior to my current position with SWCAEnvironmental Consultants (www.swca.com), I wasemployed in the University of Arizona's Arizona StateMuseum. For the past 20 years I have been a principal

and Project Manager with SWCA, a Phoenix-basednatural and cultural resource consulting firm. Duringthat time, the company has grown from a 12-person,sole-proprietorship to a 100% employee-owned firm ofsome 500 environmental and cultural resourcespecialists. With more than 150 full-time archaeologists,historians, architectural historians and ethnographers in23 offices, SWCA is one of the largest employers ofcultural resource professionals in the country.

On the personal side, I am married to Marcy andwe have two beautiful kids (Amy 13; Ian 11) and astunning yellow Labrador Retriever (Phoebe). Wespend most of our free time attending kids' swim meets,volleyball or basketball games, and track and fieldevents. We love living in southern Arizona and enjoyingthe great outdoors here.

I look forward to serving on your board and feelfree to contact me at any time ([email protected]). Ihope to see you at the next ACRA meeting inProvidence - if not before!

Tom EulerSenior Project ManagerSWCA Environmental ConsultantsTucson, Arizona

Page 15



Volume 15-2


By Nellie Longsworth, Government Affairs Consultant

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

President Obama Launches His StimulusProgram -

To Gain Republican Support, $108 Billion CutFrom Original Package

With less than a month in office, PresidentObama launched a series of programs to jumpstart our nation's economy, offering manyopportunities for archaeologists and CRM firms tofind much needed work. Within the recentlypassed "American Recovery and ReinvestmentAct" (ARRA) are projects in a number of federalagencies that are "shovel ready" and will berelatively easy to get underway. While there areagencies that have completed all environmentaland preservation requirements - "shovel ready" - there are other agencies that will bescrambling to get their projects underway.

During the congressional debate over thestimulus process, some congressional membersattempted to delete the need for NEPA'senvironmental review which incorporates Section106. Fortunately, the final version of ARRArequires environmental and historic compliancethough it does call for an expedited NEPA process.Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood spoke to anaudience in the White House that includedtransportation officials and stated "These projectsare going to be funded by the book, by the rules

and regulations that have been established."There is also a requirement that every ninety days,the President will receive reports on the status ofprojects underway.

There are many challenges ahead for CRMfirms and archaeologists. Below are relevantagencies and an outline of projects that will begetting great sums of funding for projects that are"shovel ready." In agencies such as the GeneralService Administration (GSA) and Transportation,many projects are "ready to go." However, thereare agencies such as HUD and the Veteran'sAdministration who are going to be bombardedwith money and the challenge to get NEPA andSection 106 "out the door in a hurry." This willobviously put tremendous pressure on FederalPreservation Officers (FPOs) of which there is onein every federal agency. Located in WashingtonDC., they have the responsibility of getting theneeded approvals for projects nationwide. SHPOsand THPOs will be bombarded with projectapproval and they are already diminished byshrinking state funding. The crux of all this is thatthe CRM and archaeological work must be done inan expedited process that can be completed morequickly where there is not a likelihood to haveserious archaeological consequences.

In short, we must work together to improveall aspects of cultural resource management at all

March 2009

Page 16



levels of government and in the private sector.Organizations like ACRA are needed to becomeleaders in this effort.

American Recovery And Reinvestment Act -Potential CRM projects

Education And Workforce$39.5 billion for local schools and higher

education institutions$5 billion - incentive for states that make key

performance$8.8 billion - public safety and other government

services, including curriculum improvement

Department Of The InteriorUS Geological Survey - $140 millionBureau of Land Management - $180 millionFish and Wildlife Service - $115 millionNational Park Service $146 million operation of

Park System - $589 million for constructionprojects in the parks

Department Of Defense - Corps Of Engineers- $2 billion for projects that have already received

funds$375 million for Mississippi River and tributaries$2.075 billion for Operations and Maintenance

General Services Administration$4.5 billion to convert GSA facilities to Green

Buildings ($400 million for Office of GreenBuildings)

Veterans Adminstration $150 million for construction of states' extended

care facilities for veterans

House Passes FY09 Appropriations Bill - HR 1105 -Sends To Senate

The FY09 Omnibus bill was passed by theHouse of Representatives last week. The FY09appropriations of nine agencies have been under acontinuing resolution since the last Congress. Themarkup increased funding for SHPO and Tribes,but eliminated funding for Preserve America. TheSHPOs would get a small increase to $42.5 million,an increase over FY08 $39.376 million. The Tribeswould receive $7 million and Save America'sTreasures $20 million. Preserve America waszeroed out. The reason noted for the zerofunding was "that future funding for the PreserveAmerica program should be deferred pending a fullevaluation of the effectiveness of the program inmeeting national heritage tourism needs."

The Senate will take up the measure duringthe first week of March. There is a group ofRepublican senators who want to simply haveanother continuing resolution to retain the currentfunding level through the end of the year.

5 0 2 4 - R C a m p b e l l B o u l e v a r d , B a l t i m o r e , M D 2 1 2 3 6

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